The Perfect Life
by misslaurenelizabeth
Summary: AU/AH: Rockstar Damon Salvatore comes back into Elena's quiet small-town life 3 years after leaving it and he plans to turn her world upside down. Ships: Delena, Steroline, Beremy
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Yeah, I have no business starting a new fic when I can't even finish what I have in progress. I know. But I had to get this out. If you guys are interested in reading more, show me your love! I'd like to explore this AU.**

**I promise that this is a DE story, but I want to be upfront that Elena begins the story in a relationship with someone else. Bear with me. We'll get there.**

**Lastly, I think it goes without saying that these are not my characters, just my plotline. :)**

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><p>Elena glanced at her wedding photo on her desk and reminisced about that day. It was a day when everything had gone right. She'd married a beautiful guy in a beautiful dress in a beautiful church. Today marked one year and she was ready to get home to her husband. Her boss, Katherine, had taken a half-day so she thought she might sneak out a little early. It was only 3 o'clock , but who would know? That was one of the perks of working at a small interior design firm. Her only other co-worker was Bonnie and she obviously wasn't going to tell anyone.<p>

As she packed up her bag and started to turn off her computer, she saw one more email pop up in her inbox. Elena didn't recognize the email address and it didn't have a subject, but she opened it anyway.

_Lena -_

_The band is going to be in town this weekend and I want to see you. I'll leave 2 VIP tickets at the box for you and a friend. We'll be at the Lincoln Theater on Saturday night. Show starts at 9._

_- D_

She gulped. "Well that wasn't the email I wanted to end my Friday with," she said to herself under her breath.

"What'd you say?"

Elena jumped a little as she looked up to see Bonnie standing in the door of her office. "Oh nothing. Nothing. I was just thinking about heading home early since it's our anniversary and Katherine isn't here. You know, get an early start to the weekend…" She trailed off as she closed the email and finished packing her things.

Bonnie had known Elena since they were kids in the sandbox. She knew when Elena was trying to cover something up. Elena was definitely hiding something. "If you wait up, I'll pack my stuff and we can sneak out of here together."

"Sure." Elena pulled out her phone and sent a quick text while walking out of her office and into the hallway.

_Headed home soon. xoxo – E_

She peeked her head into Bonnie's office. "Ready?"

"More than ever," Bonnie smiled as she grabbed her bag and moved toward the light switch to turn off the big overhead light.

They took the elevator in silence to the parking lot. Bonnie was unsure what to say without sounding like she was prying. Elena wanted to tell Bonnie about the email and everything that went with it, but she couldn't just unload all of that on her wedding anniversary.

Finally Bonnie decided to say something as they stepped out of the elevator doors. "Got any plans this weekend?"

"Ummm, dinner tonight at our restaurant then I don't know." She thought about mentioning Saturday, but she just couldn't. "What about you?"

"Jeremy wants to drag me to some concert Saturday at the Lincoln Theater. I'm not particularly looking forward to it, but he says the band is great." Bonnie had been dating Elena's brother for about three years. Elena was the one who had gotten him into the music scene to begin with, dragging him to concerts since he was 13 when she was supposed to be babysitting. Eventually he picked up drumming and he never looked back.

She pulled out her keys and tried to keep her cool. "I think it's The Ravens that are playing. Should be a good show." She reached for her car handle as Bonnie kept walking to her car.

"Wait a minute?!" She spun around. "The Ravens? Didn't you used to see basically all of their shows back in the day before they made it big?" Bonnie practically screamed. "You guys should double date with us!"

"Errr, I'll think about it. I don't know if we have other plans or not." She opened her door to get in.

"Just call me or text me and let me know!" Bonnie yelled as Elena climbed in and closed her car door.

"That could've gone a little better, Elena," she mumbled to herself once she was in the safety of her car. She didn't realize she'd be holding her breath under she finally released it. Now all she had to do was figure out a way to get out of this potentially awkward situation.

* * *

><p>"I'm home!" Elena yelled into the house as she opened the door and stepped into the foyer. She saw his car in the driveway so she knew he was probably in his office working on his novel.<p>

"In the office, babe!" he yelled back.

She sat her things down, kicked off her heels, and made her way through the house. As she rounded the corner into the office, she could see candles flickering in the shadows and started to hear their wedding song playing in the background. "Matty, I…" she started to say as she walked in, but was taken aback by the sight before her.

Besides the candles and the music, he'd covered the room in vases of white gardenias. Her wedding bouquet was made of them. He was leaning on the corner of the desk with one in his hand, wearing a gray sweater with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows paired with his thick black-rimmed glasses, and with his blonde hair perfectly messed up. He'd definitely been writing all day. She could tell he'd been running his hands through this hair and she desperately wanted to do the same.

_Someday when I'm awfully low and the world is cold, I will feel a glow just thinking of you…_

The start of the lyrics snapped her out of her daze. Matt made his way towards her and handed her the flower. "Happy Anniversary, babe. I thought we might go to dinner at our place tonight, but maybe we could dance together first?"

All Elena could manage was a nod as she accepted the stem with one hand and his hand with the other. This was what marriage was supposed to be like, effortless and easy with the perfect man in the perfect house.

The rest of the night was just as great as the beginning. Matt had reserved the best table at L'endroit, the French place where they had their first date almost two years ago. They filled dinner with conversation about the great memories they'd made together, how Matt's writing was going, Elena's latest zany client who wanted her whole house done in turquoise, and mostly the future they planned on having. Eventually, the laughter and smiles died down.

As they waited for dessert, Matt broke the comfortable silence. "Jeremy called me while you were on the way home from work. Something about a concert tomorrow night? Bonnie wants us to go with them."

Elena wasn't sure how to answer this. She'd never really lied to Matt before. They didn't have that kind of relationship, but she wasn't ready to really share that part of her life with him just yet. She'd been a different person back then. So she did the best thing she could. She danced around the subject. "Yeah, Bonnie mentioned it earlier when we were leaving work. It's a good chance that the tickets are sold out, though."

"Well we could try scalpers? Or I could look for tickets online?" Matt prodded.

Elena could already see she wasn't getting out of this so she admitted defeat. "Yeah, I bet we could do that."

* * *

><p>She spent the whole day Saturday a nervous wreck. How was she going to pull this off? How could she separate her past life and her previous life when the two insisted on colliding head first?<p>

Matt had been in his office all day. Apparently he was feeling really inspired after last night and he wanted to get it down on paper before they left for Lincoln Theater in a few hours. Elena was working on making a small dinner for them when her phone rang.

"Elena! Let's make plans. What time do you want us to come pick you up? We should get there a little early so you and Matt can snag some tickets." It was easy to tell that Bonnie was now buzzing with excitement. She lived for double dates.

Elena giggled, her earlier nervousness disappearing and replacing itself with excitement too. It'd been awhile since she'd hung out with Bonnie outside of work. "Well it's about a 30 minute drive and the show starts at 9 so I was thinking we leave around 8?

"Perfect! Jeremy and I will swing by and pick you up then. Make sure you're ready!" With that, Bonnie hung up the phone. No doubt she had a lot of outfit options she'd need to try on before she was ready to go.

Elena glanced at the clock and realized they'd need to be ready to leave in a little over an hour. She wanted to look nice and she told herself that it was for her husband, but if she was being a little bit honest maybe she wanted to look nice for him too. Walking down the hall with a plated dinner in her hand, she knocked on the office door.

"Babe?" Matt called. "Come on in."

She opened the door and sat the plate down on the desk for him before leaning in to give him a kiss. "How's the writing going?"

He took a bite of his sandwich and with a mouth half full replied "Good. I can't get past this one part, but I feel like the words will come pouring out again once I do."

She smiled. He really was a brilliant writer. "That's great, Matty. Do you think you'll be able to get to a good stopping point and be ready to go by 8? Bonnie and Jeremy are going to pick us up on the way there."

"Yeah, of course…" he trailed off as he started typing again and she knew she'd lost his attention.

"Matt? Earth to Matt Donovan?" she waved her hand between him and the computer screen.

"Sorry! Yes?" he turned his eyes toward her and gave her that genuine mega-watt smile that made her fall for him in the first place.

"8 o'clock? Ready to go?" she asked.

"Sure thing, babe. On the dot."

And that was enough for her because one thing Elena knew about Matt was that if he said something, he meant it.

* * *

><p>"Okay, so I guess we need to find a scalper, right Gilberts? You guys are the music experts here," Bonnie said as she walked up to the theater. Elena may have been a Donovan now in name, but she would always feel like a Gilbert at heart.<p>

True to form, Matt had been ready at 8 o'clock sharp. Elena went through five different outfits before she settled on a dress that had been in the back of her closet for two years. It was black, tight, and short with geometric cutouts on the sides. Nothing like what she would wear to work these days, but exactly what she would have worn to a show pre-Matt Donovan. She'd paired it with some black motorcycle boots. She knew better than to try to mosh in heels.

"Let's try the box office first. The scalpers always more than double the prices." Elena grabbed Matt's hand and led him through the crowd waiting outside. She was so excited to be back in the scene that she temporarily forgot what was waiting on the stage for her.

"Do you have any tickets left? Preferably in the pit?" she said to the ticket guy. She knew Jeremy would have only bought pit tickets for himself and Bonnie.

Without looking up and as unenthusiastic as possible, the guy replied with "All we got left are way in the back. I can get you those. How many?"

Elena bit her lip as she looked back at her group. She really wanted to be in front with her brother and best friend. She knew she could be, but she'd have some explaining to do. "What about something reserved for Elena Gilbert?" she tried. Matt nudged her and gave her a confused look. She shrugged.

The guy looked up at her and then back down at a list he had next to him. "Yeah, I got two VIPs for you." He reached for the two special badges and handed them to her. Elena gave one to Matt and then ushered her friends aside to let the people behind them go next.

"Someone's got the hookup!" Bonnie exclaimed.

"And you said you wouldn't get tickets! What gives, sis?" Jeremy questioned.

Matt just kind of stood there in shock, as he slipped the badge over his neck. "Ugh, babe? Did you just pull some kind of magic?" He must have been too surprised and excited to really question it too much.

Elena tried to play it cool and shrugged. "I used to see The Ravens all the time back when they were just a local band. I still know a couple roadies. I made a couple of calls. Sorry I could only get two VIPs, Jer." No one questioned her story and she sighed in relief.

Everyone made a beeline to the bar and each ordered a beer. Elena chugged hers and ordered a second, figuring the liquid courage would cover whatever might happen next. They filed into the pit just as the first song started. Elena took Matt's hand and Jeremy took Bonnie's. Both Gilberts pushed up front, just like pros, until they were up against the stage.

Elena took the opportunity to look up to the band. The songs may have been the new, the crowd may have been bigger, but the boys hadn't changed a bit.

"Roanoke, thank you for having us tonight. Many of you probably know this is where we got our start. Of course we weren't booking this place back then," Stefan gestured around the big theater and smiled as the crowd cheered. He noticed Elena in the crowd and gave her a small wave. "I see some familiar faces, some faces we haven't seen in a long time are here tonight. Let's rock our faces off like old times guys!"

The Ravens went into their second song of the night and Elena finally locked eyes with him. Those movies where everything around you goes hazy, the noise is drowned out, and all that matters are those two people? That's what happened to her. Every single time she saw him play.

Of course he was dripping sex as he strummed his black guitar. Dressed in his characteristic leather jacket with his wild dark hair going every which way, he gave her a little half smirk that she hadn't seen in far too long. Her heart fluttered and for a minute, she was that 21 year old girl again who desperately loved that man onstage.

Matt squeezed her waist and took her back to reality. She had completely forgot that she was there with other people, most notably that her husband was standing behind her. Luckily, he hadn't seemed to notice a thing. He wrapped his arms around her, gave her a peck on the cheek, and bopped along to the music. Elena spent the next few songs trying her best not to eye fuck Damon Salvatore while she danced with Matt.

* * *

><p>"We're going to take a small break real quick, guys. We'll be back so don't you go anywhere!" Stefan yelled to the crowd as the guys started to head backstage and another band came on to play a short in-between set.<p>

She turned around to yell into his ear, the only way to communicate this close to the stage. "I'm going to grab another beer! Want one?" He nodded and off she went, kissing him before she squeezed her way through the crowd.

Truthfully, she really just needed to catch her breath. She ran past the bar and directly out to a back alley, desperate for some fresh air. Leaning against the brick wall of the building, she tried to regain some composure. Surely she could handle herself for The Ravens second set and then this night would be over. She could go back to her perfect life.

"You know when I said bring a friend, I didn't mean bring a date, Lena." And there it was. The voice. The nickname. The goosebumps. Him.

Elena looked up as Damon came strolling towards her, taking a long drag from his cigarette. She squared her shoulders, positive that he wouldn't see past her cold demeanor. "He's not a date. He's my husband. We're married, Damon. I've moved on."

He took the final step toward her and pushed a stray hair behind her ear. He let out a low chuckle. "You're kidding me, right?"

She pushed him backwards a little, not enough to knock him down but just enough to create some distance. "Actually, I'm not. I married the love of my life and I am really happy."

"You're lying, Lena. You waited for me, didn't you?" He kept laughing.

Elena was starting to get annoyed. He wasn't listening. He didn't want to hear what she was saying. 30 seconds reunited and they were already arguing. "First of all, no one calls me that anymore. Second of all, I waited a year for you. You didn't return my calls after awhile. What was I supposed to do? I moved on. Now it's been three years and you want to pick back up? I don't think so, Damon. I put this part of my life behind me!" She was waving her hands and pacing around the alley like a crazy person. No matter how many times she practiced this speech in the mirror over the past two years, she still wasn't ready.

"D! Let's go! We need you!" Stefan stuck his head outside and called for his brother.

Damon put out his cigarette, gave Elena one last devilish look, and joined Stefan inside.

Maybe saying goodbye for good wasn't going to be as easy as she thought.

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><p><strong>AN: I wanted to get a lot of character establishment done in this chapter. If you all think it's worth continuing, I'd like to do some flashbacks to when Elena knew Damon before in between what's going on the present. I have a lot of ideas and I'm really excited to hear what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

"You okay, babe? You barely said anything on the ride home," Matt said as he unlocked the door to their house.

"Hmm?" Elena was preoccupied with playing a dangerous game called Don't Throw Up and Don't Tell My Husband About My Complicated Ex. She was stumbling a little just standing there. After her encounter with Damon, she'd proceeded to throw back several more beers and countless shots during The Ravens second set. She hadn't been this drunk in awhile, years really. She took one step forward as Matt held open the front door for her and down she went to the cold concrete of their front stoop.

"Whoa there, drunky!" Matt smiled as he scooped Elena into his arms. He carried her inside, kicking the door closed on the way in. Elena fell asleep and only woke up again once she was on their bed and Matt was taking off her boots for her. He covered her with a blanket and started to head to get her a glass of water.

"Matty…" she mumbled. "You're a good man. He's bad, bad, good, bad." The room started to spin as she lept up from the bed and ran into the attached bathroom. She hugged the toilet and let it all out. Her husband came running in and started trying to soothe her by rubbing her back.

Here she was puking her guts out and all Matt wanted to do was make her feel better. If it were Damon, he'd be puking right alongside her. What a stark contrast.

* * *

><p>"<em>Make it stop!" she shouted in between coughing, shaking, and throwing up. She was out behind some dive bar with Damon, with no recollection of the past hour.<em>

"_You just gotta ride it out, Lena. Ride it out. Must have been a bad batch." Damon was laying on the pavement, trying to hold himself together. If he was being honest, dope had never made him feel this shitty. Even if it was Elena's first time, that little amount shouldn't have affected her that way. "I'm calling Stefan to come get us. Just relax." He took out his phone to call his brother._

_Elena was terrified. She was wondering what she might have gotten herself into. Damon was so great. They had so much fun together and obviously the sex was amazing. They kept thing lights and casual, which suited both of them just fine, for now. If Elena was honest with herself, she really wanted more from Damon. She was down to party with him as long as she knew the party would stop someday. The question was: would it ever stop?_

* * *

><p>Elena woke up the next morning on the bathroom floor covered with a blanket and resting on a pillow, but truly feeling like death warmed over. She barely remembered getting home last night. Hopefully she didn't say anything she regretted. She sat up and glanced over to Matt, who was sitting asleep next to her on the floor. He was leaning up against the wall, laptop in his lap, and he truly looked like he was where he wanted to be. He must have stayed up most of the night writing.<p>

Not wanting to wake him, Elena took the blanket off of her and covered Matt before stepping over him and into their bedroom. She looked at herself in the armoire mirror. Just as she thought, she looked about as awful as she felt. She tamed her hair into a ponytail on top of her head and wiped her smudged eyeliner with the back of her hand, which really didn't help much at all.

Elena had no idea where her purse or phone had ended up so she went about searching the house for them both. Luckily, she found them both sitting on the kitchen counter. She grabbed her car keys and headed out to pick-up some Sunday hangover breakfast for them.

On the ride there, she called the only person she could think of that would understand.

"Ughhhh, this better be good…" Bonnie sleepily whined into the phone, clearly still feeling the after-effects of partying hard as well. Thankfully, Jeremy agreed to drive home because Bonnie quickly turned into Elena's shot partner last night.

"I don't know if good is the right word, but it's pretty interesting. I ran into an ex last night at the show…" Elena started, trying to think of the best way to explain Damon to someone who had no idea he even existed.

"You have my attention," Bonnie said. Her demeanor quickly changed from miserable and mopey to interested and attentive.

Elena took a deep breath. "Okay, I don't know where to start so I'm just going to start at the beginning. Try your best not to interrupt me along the way."

"No interruptions!" Bonnie said.

"Bonnie!"

"Okay, sorry. Go."

"Remember that summer around four years ago when you had your internship in DC and I got that fake ID? I started going to bars with Isobel on the weekends." Elena paused and Bonnie said nothing. "Bonnie?"

"I remember, but you said not to interrupt!" Bonnie laughed a little.

"Right you are. Well, one of those weekends we saw The Ravens play at a local bar. This was about 6 months before they got signed. Their guitarist ended up pulling me on stage with him during their last song. I was basically smitten. He smelled amazing, arms covered in tattoos, and I was kind of star struck. Afterwards, he invited Isobel and I back to his house. We partied with the band all night. I ended up hooking up with him that night. From then on, we just kind of casually hooked up on the weekends. I got really close with him, his brother, and the rest of the band members. We saw each other pretty regularly up until they got signed and went on tour."

Elena tried to skip over the not so pleasant parts like the drugs, the fights, and especially the part where she fell head over heels in love with him. "Long story short, we lost touch. Now that he's back in town for a while, he wanted to see me. He was the one who left those tickets for me. I thought I could handle it. I thought I wouldn't really have to talk to him so I'd be fine, but seeing him again brought back so many memories. He saw me outside the venue during their break and he got so close to me. I thought he might kiss me. Bonnie, I may have actually _wanted_ him to kiss me. I realize that's wrong. Matt is amazing. He's literally the perfect man and the perfect husband. I think my heart just never really let go of Damon."

At this point, it occurred to Elena that she was basically just rambling. "Okay, you can talk now. Thoughts? Opinions?"

"Wow, Elena. That's um, that's a lot. Okay first of all, I'm a little sad that you kept this guy a secret from me for four years. Secondly, I stood by you as you made a serious commitment to Matt so it's hard for me to tell you that what you're feeling is okay. However, I'm your friend. I'll stand by you no matter what and I want you to feel like you have someone to come to. Are you planning to see him again?"

"I don't know. I feel it would be unfair to Matt." She finally pulled up to the drive-thru. "Shit, I gotta go. Picking up breakfast!"

"Alright, lady. I'll see you tomorrow at work!"

Elena hung up the phone and ordered some fast food breakfast for her and Matt.

* * *

><p>Monday morning rolled around quicker than Elena would have liked. After spending most of Sunday lazily lounging on the couch with Matt, she felt so guilty for Saturday night. He hadn't really mentioned much when she came back with breakfast, just that she was really sick that night and he was glad she looked to be feeling better. Of course, Elena apologized for being so irresponsible and of course, Matt forgave her instantly.<p>

She pulled into a parking space in the parking lot outside her building and glanced at the clock in her car. 7:55am. She was running right on schedule.

Right at 8am, she walked into her office, switched on her lights, and turned on her computer. She had avoided checking her email all day yesterday because she had a feeling one would be waiting for her from Damon and she wanted to be prepared for what she'd say back. Before she had a chance to look in her inbox, Bonnie walked into her office and immediately shut her door. She plopped down in one of the chairs Elena usually had her clients sit in and just stared at her.

"Um, good morning?" Elena said.

"I was thinking," Bonnie began. "Maybe in order to really get closure from Damon, you need to sit down and talk to him. I know you said that you saw him a little at the concert, but maybe you guys should have coffee or something. Talk in like a less sexually charged environment?"

Elena sighed. "Maybe, I don't know."

"Do you want closure? Or is this maybe about something else?" Bonnie questioned.

"I honestly don't know." She really didn't. She thought she found a lifelong partner in Matt. She had straightened up, put that part of her past behind her, and moved on to become a successful designer as well as a good wife.

"Well I think you better find out before someone gets hurt."

Elena knew Bonnie was right. There was no way she'd be able to keep living like this. It had only been a couple of days and the guilt was already ripping her apart.

* * *

><p><em>Lena -<em>

_I'm at a loss for words._

_- D_

Elena had finally read Damon's email that morning, but had yet to reply. She was expecting something witty and captivating from him. Damon had always been quick-witted and light-hearted. Instead, his email was vague. But even with the vagueness, he still sounded kind of broken.

She was about to ask Bonnie where she wanted to go for lunch when Matt called her.

"Matty, I was about to head out the door. Everything okay?"

"Babe! It happened! I finished it Saturday night. I sent a rough draft to Rebecca this morning and she loved it. She sent it straight to the publishers. They want me to edit a couple small things, but then they want to publish me! They want me to go on a book tour! It finally happened!" Matt was so excited that Elena could practically feel him jumping up and down through the phone.

She was excited for him as well, even if he did mention Rebecca by name. Elena preferred to call her That Raging Bitch of an Agent, but that didn't bode well in certain circles. "That's amazing! We have to celebrate tonight! Like I said earlier, I was just about to walk out the door. Tonight though, you and me, celebratory dinner. I'll cook and everything!"

"Yeah, yeah. Of course. Listen, the tour is going to start really soon. I don't have all the details yet, but I'll fill you in tonight once I know more. I love you. This is going to be so good for us, Elena."

"I love you too, Matty." Elena hung up the phone and took a deep sigh. She had already lost one man to the spotlight, but why did the possibility of losing this one hurt so much less?

"Bonnie!" She yelled from her office to across the hall. "What's for lunch?"

* * *

><p>After staring at Damon's email for about 2 hours straight once she got back from her lunch break, Elena was still unsure of what to write back. She was never great at prose, so she thought maybe Bonnie had the right idea when she suggested they actually talk this whole thing out.<p>

Doubting that his number was still the same, she tried to call him anyway. It was a phone number she had never forgotten. Miraculously, it rang and he answered.

"I told you, Caroline. Stefan isn't here. If you want to find him that badly, go look your damn self." Damon answered in his aggravated voice. Elena knew that tone pretty well. It was a tone that used to be basically reserved for her and occasionally Stefan's girlfriend, Caroline.

"Not Caroline," was all she had managed to get out. That was a whole two words more than the blank email reply sitting on her screen, so she called this phone call a success already.

Damon's tone suddenly changed to that sensual whisper that Elena craved to hear. "Lena?"

If she thought her heart was pounding outside the concert, she had no idea what was happening to it now. It felt like it was going to leap out of her chest, just like the very first time she saw him four years ago. "It's me."

"I thought after Saturday I wouldn't hear from you again. I thought that I was too late. Can we talk? We're staying at Mom's place while we're in town. You remember where it is, right? You came over for dinner a couple of times."

Elena cut him off a little. "I want to talk, but we have to do it in public. Can we meet for drinks this evening? Corner Bar?"

"I haven't been there in forever. I'd love that. 5:30 okay with you?" She could hear him smirking.

"Perfect. See you there, Damon." Before she could say anything stupid to ruin a perfectly good conversation, she hung up the phone.

Then it clicked. Celebratory dinner. Tonight. For Matt. She had just double booked herself.

* * *

><p>She'd been waiting for almost 15 minutes before he walked in. Dark jeans, black t-shirt, leather jacket. It was practically his uniform and she wasn't complaining. It was worth the wait. "You're late," Elena smirked at him as he sat down on the stool next to her. After calling Matt with the lame excuse of having to work late, she spent the rest of the afternoon rehearsing 1,000 different conversations she might have with Damon at the bar that evening.<p>

"Caroline says that when you're famous, you're never late, everyone else is early." Damon winked one of those baby blues at Elena and she could have melted right there.

Good thing her career experience had taught her a thing or two about keeping composure. "I'm pretty sure Caroline got that from The Princess Diaries and that refers to the queen. You just quoted Julie Andrews, dude." Elena took a swig of her gin & tonic, clearly pleased that she already had the upper hand in this meeting.

"Can I get you anything?" the bartender asked Damon.

"Just a club soda," he nodded back to the bartender before he turned his attention back to Elena.

"New hangover cure?" Elena asked, laughing a little. She was surprised how at ease she felt. It was almost like he'd never left her.

Damon chuckled lowly. "Hardly. 6 months sober today. I'm off all of it. Well, except the cigarettes. Never really could go more than a half hour without one of those things."

"Oh, I didn't know. I'm sorry. I would've picked someplace else. I just read all the time about you in the news at parties. I thought a couple drinks would make you more comfortable." She pushed her drink away, not wanting to offend him. "Do you want to get coffee instead?"

"Elena, I'm sober. Not dead. Relax. Drink your gin. Frankly, I never liked that stuff anyway. As long as you're not shooting up heroin and taking swigs of bourbon, I think I can control myself." He slid her glass back toward her.

She reached for it hesitantly. "So…"

"So?" Damon shot back.

The nervousness was finally starting to settle in. This was evidence that time had indeed passed. They were different now.

"Well someone has to say something, here. Otherwise, I'm going to kiss you and as you made very clear on Saturday, I'm not allowed to do that anymore."

And just like that, Elena was reminded that some things never change. "How long are you guys in town, Damon?" She tried to steer the subject to more neutral territory.

"Well this was the end of the last leg of our tour, so maybe for awhile. Mom misses us and it's getting harder for her to travel to New York to see us. Plus it's kind of nice to be home, you know?" He took a sip of his club soda.

"I think I know what you mean," she smiled.

"So you're really married, huh? What's he like?" Damon had started lazily running his finger along the rim of his glass in an attempt to concentrate on anything other than the fact that she was nervously playing with her wedding ring.

"He's kind. He treats me well. He's patient and understanding. He's just a really good guy."

"And he loves you?" Damon questioned.

"Yes."

"And you love him?"

"I love so much about him." Elena shifted in her seat. This was becoming an awkward conversation for him.

"But do you love him?" Damon prodded her further.

Elena blushed. She could try to lie, but he'd see it. He would know. He always knew. As quietly as possible, she told the truth. "I think I have only ever loved one man in my life and he's staring at me right now."

Damon's face lit up. "Elena if you're talking about that bartender who has been checking you out this entire conversation, I'll scream."

She didn't know where this boldness was coming from and she was still undecided about whether it was welcome or not. Looking straight into those eyes, she said, "I'm not."

He grabbed Elena by the hand, threw some cash down on the counter for the drinks, and practically dragged her out into the parking lot. Before she knew it, she was pinned up against the side of the building and his hands were all over her. His lips were on her earlobe, then her neck, before finally coming to her mouth. When his lips touched hers, it was fireworks. Nothing had changed.

He backed away from her slowly. They were both panting. Elena smiled a little to herself. What was it with them and alleyways?

She felt her phone vibrate in her purse. As she dug it out, she read the text.

_How much longer at work? Should I eat without you?_

Just like that, reality hit and Elena's smile was gone. She looked up at Damon, who was digging his cigarettes out of his back pocket. "That can't happen again. Ever. I have to go."

Before even waiting to hear his response, she practically sprinted to her car and made her way home to the man she was actually supposed to be kissing.

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><p><strong>AN: Long Author's Notes are kind of my thing.**

***GASP!* I know! A Damon who doesn't drink bourbon anymore! What kind of madness is this?! We'll still get some great flashbacks of the alcoholic Damon we all know and love though so fret not.**

**Thank you guys for the wonderful words of encouragement so far on this fic! I couldn't be more thrilled and inspired by them!**

**This is going to be kind of a slower burn, but I promise I have a plan for how this will all come together. Rest assured that everyone will get their happy ending and I do mean everyone. Even Matty.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hi everyone! It's been awhile, but I am hoping that this chapter makes up for it. We get some banter, some sexy sexy, some angst. A little of everything, most importantly a lot of DE. Oh, and it's also the longest chapter so far.**

**My husband & I are in the extremely stressful process of buying a house right now (eeep!) so I don't have as much time to write as I'd like to. I am totally writing as much and as often as I can though. Promise. Read, review, follow, favorite. Do it all, lovelies!**

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><p>She pushed the gas pedal down as she rounded the corner of their street. Elena was driving her car faster than she even thought possible. Toward Matt and away from Damon. She made it home from Corner Bar in record time before practically leaping out of her car and running into the house. That night, she made love to Matt in their comfortable king-sized bed but it wasn't anything compared to that stolen kiss in the bar alleyway.<p>

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><p>Elena was surprised that she didn't hear anything from Damon for the rest of the week. No emails, no phone calls. Radio silence. She knew in her heart that was for the best. They could each continue on with their lives and no one would be any the wiser of what had happened the other night. In time, she'd forget about that kiss. Maybe in even more time, she'd forget about him.<p>

It was Friday afternoon and Matt was already leaving for his book tour early tomorrow morning. The publishers wanted him to hit the talk show circuit before the book was officially released to create some hype. If Elena was being honest, she was ready to have the house to herself. She wanted to clear her head. She wanted to use this time to hopefully let her guilt dissipate. Matt had always been so good to her and she knew he didn't deserve this, but being honest with him would ruin their marriage and Elena had promised her life to him.

"Lady! What are your plans once Matt leaves tomorrow?" Bonnie strolled into Elena's office and plopped down in one of her chairs.

Elena was pulled from her thoughts and gave Bonnie a smile. "I'm still ironing out the details but I think it involves me, a bottle of red wine, and a Scandal marathon."

"Or…. we could do some shopping. I know something's bothering you and retail therapy always helps." Bonnie softly prodded. "Is it because Matt's leaving? Is it because you're still wanting closure with Damon?"

Elena didn't tell Bonnie about Monday night. She didn't tell anyone. She was ashamed of how much she actually enjoyed it. It had been a long time since she'd felt like the Old Elena and she didn't entirely hate the feeling. "I'm just bummed about missing Matt is all," she lied.

"Well you have my number. And you know Jeremy and I will be calling to check on you at least every other day while Matt's gone. It's basically five o'clock and it's a three day holiday weekend. Let's get out of here." Bonnie gave her an easy smile.

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><p>"You sure you have everything?" Elena said as she grabbed her keys from the kitchen counter. It was 4:30am on Saturday morning, if you could call it that. She was getting ready to drive Matt to the airport. His first stop was in Toronto and he had told her that Rebecca was meeting up with him there. Of course Elena wasn't happy that he'd be traveling with her for the next few weeks, but she hardly had any room to question someone's fidelity.<p>

Matt emerged from the hallway with a suitcase and a duffel bag. "Pretty sure, babe. You gonna miss me?" He smiled and his eyes twinkled a little.

"You know I will!" She gave him a quick kiss before trying to help him with the smaller of his bags.

"No way, Jose! I got this!" He kept hold of both bags and headed for the door.

Elena clutched her to-go mug filled with coffee and followed behind him toward the car.

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><p>4 hours into her Saturday Scandal marathon, Elena got a text on her phone. She thought it might have been Matt saying he'd landed safely and was pretty shocked to see that it was Damon.<p>

_I have a business proposition for you, Lena. – D_

He was going to act like Monday night didn't happen and Elena was kind of happy about that. She paused Scandal and picked up her phone to reply.

_No one calls me Lena anymore. So long as it's strictly business, I'm all ears. – E_

Elena took the opportunity to pour herself another glass of red wine. If Olivia Pope was allowed a bottle a night, why couldn't she?

_Since we're in town for a while, I thought I'd remodel the old place. Will you help? – D_

_Nope. - E_

After that, Damon immediately called her twice. She ignored both calls. He didn't leave a voicemail.

A couple hours later, Matt had finally called to let her know he landed in Toronto safely and Elena let out a huge sigh of relief. She could put her phone on silent now and focus on Pope & Associates. She could drink that second bottle of wine. Most importantly, she could ignore the fact that Damon had called her two more times.

After that second bottle of wine, Elena fell asleep on the couch. She dreamt of Damon's old apartment. It was pretty shabby the last time she was there. A mattress on the floor of his bedroom, posters on the wall of all of his favorite bands, dishes always piled in the sink, he and Stefan's various instruments and music sheets scattered all throughout the living room. To put it lightly, it was not the kind of place you'd see in Home & Gardens. Still, it was full of so much life. There was that coffee pot that was always running because at least one of the guys needed it for their hangover. There was the sound of the band rehearsing in that messy living room every other day. Elena used to sit on the couch with Caroline sometimes and watch them. That was the same couch she and Damon had jumped on for 2 hours while taking pulls from a bottle of Kentucky bourbon and singing bad 80s hair metal at the top of their lungs. Elena grew into herself in that apartment. It held so many memories. In that short time, it became a part of her.

By the time she had woken up to move into the bedroom, Elena had decided she would help him bring life to that place again.

_I'll do it. Strictly professional. – E_

_Strictly. I'll even pay you. When can we start? – D_

_Tomorrow? – E_

_Pick you up at 10 in the morning. – D_

Elena texted him her address and drifted back to sleep in her bed.

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><p>True to form, Damon made Elena wait. She was standing on her front porch tapping her right foot with her arms crossed on Sunday morning at 10:12am. She felt confident that the man would be late to his own funeral. Also true to form, Elena had tried on about five outfits before deciding on dark skinny jeans, mid-height tan stilettos, and a white blouse. She had her hair pulled back in a high ponytail with very minimal jewelry. It was simple and casual, but still classy and conservative.<p>

Matt had called her first thing this morning from Toronto to let her know that his day was jam-packed with appearances. He promised to call her again tonight before he fell asleep. Elena didn't mention any of her plans for the day, simply opting for "just getting some errands done" when he asked her.

Damon finally pulled up around 10:20 in his car, music blaring, sunglasses on, and hair windblown. He was driving the same blue 1969 convertible Camaro that he owned three years ago. She chuckled to herself. In some ways, he really was the same Damon. She realized when she hopped into the passenger seat that, honestly in some ways, she really was the same Elena.

They got on the main road toward Damon's apartment; neither really saying anything to other for fear that it would make the situation awkward. Elena reached for the radio to change the station.

"Hey! Hey! Hey! You can't just come in this car again three years later and change the station!" Damon jokingly scolded her.

She laughed. "You're telling me you haven't changed this station in three years?"

"I haven't driven this car in three years. I wasn't even sure she ran before this morning when I started her up." He was smiling and happy. Elena could tell that he was in a good place. The sober life did well for Damon.

"It's like she was just sitting in your garage waiting for you to come back and start her up again," Elena said.

"At least one lady waited for me," he replied back as he patted the dashboard a couple of times with his hand.

Elena wasn't sure how to respond to that so she didn't. She just stared at the passing trees and buildings.

Damon broke the silence again. "So that was your house now, huh? Nice digs. Must be making some big bucks in interior design these days."

"Matt's family passed it down to him. We kind of inherited it. I do all right though. Wait 'til you see what I'm charging you!" She laughed again.

They pulled up outside Damon's old apartment building and he was on the other side of the car opening her door before she knew it. "Don't I get some kind of discount here? 15% off for former lovers? Free consultation for old flames? I got you those tickets. That's gotta be worth something, Lena!"

She led the way up the stairwell to Damon's floor. She knew exactly where she was going. More importantly, she didn't want Damon to see her smiling from ear to ear. She had missed this witty banter so much. "Tickets to your own show is hardly a favor and it's not like you can't afford it now Mr. Big Shot Rockstar. What are you, like a gazillionaire now?"

He unlocked the door and they both stepped inside. Much like the Camaro not much had changed here, save for a lot less dishes in the sink and a little more light coming in from the windows. She had her work cut out for her. She reached into her bag, pulled out a pen and notepad, and started taking notes as she walked around each room of the apartment. Damon followed behind her, keeping quiet so that she could concentrate but also keeping close enough that she could feel his breath on the back of her neck at times.

After a thorough walk-through, Elena made her way back to the kitchen and placed her notepad on the counter. "Okay, here's what I'm thinking. Obviously, we get rid of all of this Goodwill furniture and finally paint some of these walls. Since it's kind of an industrial space already with the exposed ductwork and beams, I think we keep that theme going throughout the decor. That style is actually really in right now. We can do lots of neutral colors with small pops of brightness to draw the eye where you want it to focus. The bedroom really just needs new furniture. The exposed brick is kind of awesome and I wouldn't dare touch that. I definitely want to add a big island in the kitchen and change the cabinet colors to a darker wood. It'll take it to a whole new level. I can sketch up some ideas and get them to you in the next couple of days if you want. What do you think?"

"Stefan and I have been staying at Mom's since we got into town. I haven't been here in so long. A lot of memories here, huh?." He locked his hands behind his head and nostalgically gazed around the place. His black t-shirt lifted a little and Elena couldn't help but notice the little trail of hair leading to the most delicious part of him.

She tried to remain focused and put them back on track to the reason she was even here in the first place. "Too many memories. Good and bad. Really though, Damon, What do you think?"

"Oh, yeah. That sounds like it'll be really great. I trust you. How much will that run for a gazillionaire like me?" He winked at her and Elena swore that her knees were about to give out from underneath her.

"For you? Well it depends on how much all the furniture will cost, but I'll waive what I normally charge for my services in exchange for a legitimate reason why you stopped returning my calls and a promise that I can use this remodel in my portfolio." She straightened her posture, trying her best to stand tall and look him in the eye.

Damon chuckled lowly. "Well that's awfully nice of you Miss Gilbert-"

"Mrs. Donovan," she corrected.

"That's awfully nice of you, Lena. If it's all the same to you, I think I'd rather just pay you whatever you charge everyone else. Strictly professional and all that." He winked again and this time followed it with a smirk as he dug out his pack of cigarettes. He went outside on the balcony to go smoke one.

Elena was left standing in the kitchen feeling confused, a little pissed off, and oddly turned on. Why wouldn't he tell her what happened to him? Where did he get off using her own words against her? How did he manage to be so sexy while being such an ass? She stormed out after him.

"Just because you're incredibly attractive doesn't mean you have to be an asshole!" Her face immediately turned bright red. _Damn it, filter. Where were you on that one?_

He took a puff, remaining collected as always. "You still think I'm attractive, yeah?"

"Uh, well, I mean," she struggled to finish the sentence.

Damon flicked his cigarette off the balcony and pinned Elena up against the side of the building. "That's a yes," he whispered in her ear before kissing her.

Elena had been stewing in her own guilt for almost a week now and it didn't matter. She let him kiss her because she'd wanted to kiss him since the moment she hopped into his car this morning. He tasted like Camel Lights, dark roast coffee, and home. Elena took her time reveling in it. She wanted to taste it for as long as possible.

He slid his hands over her butt and cupped it before lifting her a little. Elena took that opportunity to wrap her legs around his waist and he took that opportunity to carry them both back inside to the couch. They both came crashing down on the old sofa, a mess of limbs and moans as the kiss deepened and they both held onto each other for dear life. This time there was no text message to take her out of the moment.

They broke apart only long enough for Elena to pull Damon's shirt over his head. He made quick work of the buttons on her blouse and shrugged her out of it. Elena wasn't even wearing her cute bra today, which thankfully was of little consequence because Damon had that thing off and onto the floor in seconds. He went to start unbuttoning her jeans next and switched to lavishing her neck with wet, urgent kisses. Elena leaned her head back to allow him better access; her hands were fisted into his black hair.

They shed out of the rest of their clothes and as much as Damon wanted to shower her with affection, now wasn't the time. This wasn't about romance. This was more urgent, a satisfaction to a visceral need that had gone unmet for too long.

He readied himself at her entrance and paused for a moment. Elena gave him the final head nod he needed. If she was sure, so was he. He slid in and it was like he'd never left. She was his to claim and he was hers. As he hovered over her, he couldn't help but admire how beautiful she was. Three years had done nothing but make her more of a woman. His slow pace quickened as her grip around his bicep tightened and he could tell she would come soon.

"So close," she breathed.

"Come for me, baby." He reached between them and started to rub her most sensitive spot. It wasn't long before her walls tightened around him.

It was the most delicious feeling for Elena. Her toes curled and her head got all cloudy as her skin flushed a light red. She had forgotten what this could be like. How could an orgasm with Damon be so much better than with anyone else? "Mm, so good," was all she could manage to get out.

That was more than enough for Damon, as he came soon after her. Breathing heavy and still inside her, he laid his head on her shoulder in exhaustion. They lay like that for awhile before Damon stood up to go clean up in his bathroom. He came back with a clean washcloth for her so that she could clean up as well. After they were both a little less sticky, they cuddled naked on the couch while basking in the post-coital glow.

Elena broke the silence. "Thank you. I needed that. I need you."

As if someone had just poured a cold bucket of ice water on him, Damon jumped up from the couch. Naked and pacing, he was a sight to behold. "You don't get to tell me when you need me, Elena. You just don't. I got clean! I made a life for us! I sorted my shit out so I could come back to you, like I promised I would!" He bent down to pick up his clothes and put them back on. He was angry, she could tell.

Normally, this would be the time that Damon would go pour himself a glass of bourbon and then another and another. He'd drink until he wasn't angry anymore. If that didn't fix it, he'd do a little smack. That was the old Damon. This was the new Damon. He reached into his pocket and fiddled with his sobriety chip, a constant reminder of all that he had been through to get to this point. He couldn't hide from his demons anymore. He couldn't destroy this feeling with substances. He had to face it head on. Calmly, he picked up Elena's clothes. He held them out to her and she snatched them out of his hand.

After getting dressed as quickly as possible, Elena hadn't said anything yet. What could he expect her to say to that anyway? In her heart, she knew it was a mistake to be in that apartment again with him. She went to the kitchen to grab her bag and notepad before moving toward the door.

"Why didn't you wait for me? You said you'd wait for me." he yelled after her, this time with much less anger and much more pain in his voice.

Elena turned around and let out the tears she had so desperately been trying to hold in. "You left and made all of these big promises to me, Damon. You said you'd make a better life for us, and then you'd come back for me. You said you'd call every day. You said you'd be faithful: heart, body, and soul. You broke them all." Her mascara was running as she stormed back to him. "A month after you left, you stopped calling every day. Six months after you left, you stopped calling at all. You disappeared on me! The only way I knew where you were was through Star Magazine and trust me, that was not the best way for me to find out that you were partying with Selena Gomez and God only knows who else! You gave up first, not me. I waited, Damon. I waited."

Damon dug in his pocket for another cigarette and lit in the middle of the living room, smoke smell be damned. "You have no idea what kind of hell I've went through the past three years, do you? I didn't call? Did you ever think maybe it was because I was lost? Maybe you have a couple copies of the tabloids you read because half the time I didn't even know where the fuck I was! The drugs were so easy to get. The alcohol was free-flowing. Women were throwing themselves at me every night. I didn't know how to handle that shit!" He sat down on the couch and hung his head. "I got lost in it. So lost that I didn't even know who I was for a long, long time. I woke up one morning in Reno with a needle still in my arm with no clue how I'd gotten there. I didn't know who I was with. I didn't know what I'd done. The only thing I did know was that I wanted to come home to you. Ever since that day, I've been working on becoming the kind of man you'd be happy to have come home to you! I didn't give up, I just got lost along the way."

Hands on her hips and tears starting to dry, Elena sat down next to him on the couch. She left a comfortable amount of space between them. "Sorry, that's not going to work on me Damon. It may have worked on the Elena three years ago but not now. You expected me to pine away at you while you lived it up. You must be joking. I gave you a year. I gave you a full year to come back to me. The goofy kid at the coffee shop asked me out every single day for a year after you left. Every single day, I said no. I waited a year and I finally said yes because I thought you weren't coming back. I thought 'Well what's the harm in one date? It isn't like I'll fall in love with this geeky coffee guy.' But I did, Damon. I fell for him. I married him. I-"

"And yet you're here begging me to take off your pants. Sounds like a really functional marriage right there." He interjected dryly as he finally looked up to lock eyes with her. It was the first time he'd really seen her face since she started crying and he didn't like it.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "You kissed me!"

"You didn't stop me, Lena. You kissed me back. You responded to me." He argued.

She sighed and slouched into the couch. This fight wasn't over, but she was too exhausted to continue it right now. "You were my first love. You'll never be able to be anything else, will you?"

"Wouldn't be in my nature," he smirked a little and it brought some relief to her to see his demeanor returning to normal.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hi friends! I see people are starting to follow this story and that is so exciting. Thank you for words of encouragement on the last few chapters too. :)**

**Also, sorry if you got a notification earlier that Ch 4 was up. I published it too soon (without editing and ANs) so I had to delete and re-upload. Here it is now though!**

**One more thing! I have a whole Spotify playlist for when I'm writing, but one song that has actually really inspired me writing this is Bloodstream by Stateless. If you guys have a chance to give it a listen, I highly recommend it.**

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><p>Exhausted physically and emotionally, Elena had absentmindedly drifted off to sleep on the couch in Damon's apartment. She woke up with her head resting on his lap as he relaxed and watched some Sunday football. It was the kind of thing a married couple would do at home on a weekend. Only they weren't a couple and this wasn't her home.<p>

"How long was I out?" Elena looked up at him, squinting. It was awfully bright in there and her eyes were still trying to adjust.

He flipped to another game when one went on a commercial. "Only an hour or so. It's about 2:30 now. You hungry?"

She nodded.

"Well, I don't have much to eat here obviously. We could go somewhere though. You still a fan of Mike's? I haven't had a sub from there in so long." His mouth watered at the thought.

Elena sat up and rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. "What are we doing here, Damon?"

"Uh, discussing lunch I thought? What's your rush? Didn't you say what's his face was out of town anyways?" He pretended to be oblivious to what she was really talking about, but he knew.

"You know what I mean," she pressed on. "We can't go to Mike's. You have to take me home."

"And I will," he tapped her on the nose "Just as soon as we get some lunch at your favorite deli. It is still your favorite, isn't it?"

Elena stood up to grab her bag. She took out her compact mirror and took a look at her reflection. She tried to tame her messy hair and wipe away the smudged makeup. "We can't just go to Mike's. People will see us. People will talk. Word will get back to Matt. I can't. Please just take me home." She sounded exasperated, despite just waking up from one of the best naps she'd taken in years.

Their conversation was interrupted when her phone rang. She fished it out of her bag and saw that it was Bonnie calling, probably to check on her. She cleared her throat before answering.

"Bonnie! Hey!" she greeted her.

"Hey! I'm with Jer. We were going to try to catch a matinee today at the movies. Want to come? You need a break from Scandal. And before you say anything about being a third wheel, don't. A best friend and sister does not a third wheel make."

She sounded so happy, so normal. It reminded Elena of her uncomplicated life before Damon had returned last weekend. Glancing over at Damon who had resumed watching football, she replied, "I kind of can't. I'm in the city, working a job today." She was deliberately vague.

"Hang on," she could hear Bonnie walking and she only assumed it was to get out of earshot of Jeremy. "You're with him now, aren't you?" Bonnie whispered.

"Yeah," Elena winced. She never was great at lying to her best friend.

"Okay…" Bonnie was waiting to hear something further on the matter but it never really came.

"Want to come over tonight instead after your done at the movies? I could use some girl time." This would give Elena time to explain things to her, if she could even explain them to herself at that point.

"Sure. I'll give you a call later?"

"Great, Bonnie. Talk to you then." She ended the call and placed her attention back on Damon, who was still engrossed in the TV.

"Alright, Damon. Now I really do have to go. Will you take me home please?"

"Okay," was all he said. The ride back to her place was painfully silent, save for the radio station. When a song by The Ravens came on, Damon immediately changed the station.

"I haven't heard that one yet," she motioned to change it back and he moved her hand away from the dial.

"You wouldn't like it. It's new." He kept his eyes transfixed on the road, paying her no more attention the rest of the way to her house.

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><p>Once her front door clicked shut and she was inside the safety of her house, Elena collapsed in the foyer. She had no idea what she was doing anymore. She threw off her shoes and rested her elbows on her knees as she let out a frustrated groan. There was no possible way that this would be a happy ending for everyone, but the longer it went on the worse it would be. She couldn't stay away from Damon. She had tried and she couldn't. Moreover, she didn't really want to anymore. She had to give into the part of herself that craved him. Now that she knew what it was like to have him again, she couldn't forget it.<p>

She dug her phone out of her purse and called Matt. Even though he'd said he was unbelievably busy today, she needed to do this.

"Missing me already?" he answered and she could hear the genuine smile in his voice.

Elena immediately started to tear up a little. She thought she was done crying for the day. How was it possible that she even had any tears left? She sniffled a little and tried to regain her composure. "You have no idea. Are you busy? I can let you go if you're busy."

"Never too busy for my wife," he said. "You okay, babe? Are you crying?"

"Kind of okay, kind of crying," she replied. "Can I be completely honest with you, Matty?"

"Always. You know that."

"I did something that could jeopardize our entire marriage and I need to know where we go from here." Elena was doing her best to keep the tears at bay.

"Uh, gonna need some clarification here." She started to hear a little bit of worry in his voice.

Still on the foyer floor, Elena slid to lean against the wall. She took a deep breath. She wanted to tell him. She had to tell him. There was no other way this could end. "Remember the show we went to with Bonnie and Jeremy? I lied about who left the tickets for me. It was Damon Salvatore, the guitarist." She paused. She needed to choose her next phrase of words carefully.

"And?"

"And I knew him from before I met you. We had a thing." That was the best way she could think to classify it.

"I'm not happy you lied about that, but I hardly thing that brings our whole marriage into question. Is there anything else you're not telling me?" Matt seemed relatively calm. He was basically giving her an out without knowing it.

Elena was still struggling to tell him the rest. How do you tell your husband that you fucked your rock star ex-fling a couple of hours ago without coming off as a bitch? How do you tell him that you might want to do it again while he's in a completely different country trying to chase his dream? The answer is that you don't tell him. You don't tell him over the phone while he's out of town. You wait until he comes back. You let him enjoy his month long book tour, the thing he's been working so hard for. You let him have that moment filled without grief or stress. That's what she was going to do. When he was home, she'd tell him then. She promised herself she would.

Putting on her best fake confident voice, she finally answered, "That's everything, Matty."

"Matt! What are you doing? Come on! It's go time!" Rebecca called from somewhere in the background.

"Everything with us is good, Elena. Don't worry about it. I gotta go, though. I love you so much. Talk to you soon."

She started nodding her head, even though no one could see her. "Of course. Love you too."

After she hung up the phone, she trudged her way to the master bathroom to take a shower.

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><p>Bonnie had called four times that evening, Jeremy had call twice, and her text messages were blowing up. Elena ignored all of it. Post-shower, she'd confined herself to her bed to mourn the end of her marriage. Matt may not have known it yet, but things were over for them. Dressed in her most comfortable pajamas, she closed the curtains and rehearsed the inevitable conversation in her mind over and over again.<p>

She was just about to get to the part where she apologized profusely for being unfaithful to him when someone started knocking loud and repeatedly on her front door. Having a sneaking suspicion that Bonnie had just taken the initiative to come on over, she got out of bed with a blanket wrapped around her and shuffled through the house into the foyer.

"Chill out, Bonnie! I'm coming!" she yelled before yanking the door open. Bonnie stormed into the house, right past Elena. "Won't you please come in?" Elena mumbled to herself.

"I thought Rockstar McGee had kidnapped you or something! Couldn't you have answered or texted me or something?" She was pretty angry with Elena and an angry Bonnie was kind of a scary Bonnie. Just ask Jeremy. "I mean seriously, Elena! Jer and I promised Matt that we'd watch out for you while he was gone. I can't do that if you just disappear! What kind of friend would I be if…"

"I don't think I want to be married to Matt anymore," Elena whispered and the tears she'd been trying to hold in since she got home finally came rushing out.

Bonnie immediately stopped her tirade and rushed to envelope Elena in the best friend hug to end all best friend hugs. "Shhh, it's okay. It's going to be okay." She tried to calm the tears.

After Elena cried for fifteen minutes straight, she pulled herself together enough to pour a couple glasses of wine for them. Bonnie had found some of Elena's pajamas to change into and was seated comfortably on the living room couch. She typed out a quick text to Jeremy, who she had called in a panic earlier.

_Hey, I found her. She was at home the whole time. She's okay, just tired. I'm staying here tonight. I'll be home tomorrow before work. xoxo – Bonnie_

Elena brought the two glasses of wine into the living room and set them on the coffee table.

"You sure that's going to be enough?" Bonnie gave her a reassuring smile, trying to lighten the atmosphere a little.

Elena retreated into the kitchen for the rest of that bottle and another unopened one before placing those on the coffee table as well. "Better safe than sorry," she shrugged. She finally took a seat next to Bonnie and proceeded to grab her wine glass to chug the whole thing. "Where do I start, Bonnie?"

"How about the part where you from getting closure to leaving Matt?" Bonnie prompted. "What happened? What changed?"

"I," she started. "We, we had sex." There. She said it. "Bonnie, it was good sex. No, great sex. It was mind-bending sex."

"Not that I'm trying to talk you into staying in a marriage where you're unhappy or anything, but don't you and Matt have sex like all the time? A good fuck is hardly something to make a life changing decision over." She took a sip of her red wine. It was a good batch. Elena had terrific taste in wine. Terrible taste in life choices at the moment, but terrific taste in wine.

"It was more than the sex. I think I forgive him for leaving, Bonnie. I'm not stupid enough to think we're just going to pick up back where we left off or anything, but I'm happy he's back. I feel like my missing piece is finally found. I guess I kind of did wait for him, in a sense. I care for Matt deeply, but I don't love him. I never did. Saying that aloud makes me feel like the worst person in the entire world, but I'm having a really honest day today so why not just continue it?"

"Sounds like you're pretty sure?" Bonnie replied.

Elena nodded.

"Well if you're sure, then I'm supportive. Kind of comes with the best friend title. Did you tell Matt yet? What did he say?"

Elena didn't say anything and Bonnie instantly knew what that meant.

"Elenaaa," she whined a little. "You have to tell him. Matt is literally the most upstanding guy on this planet. You can't lie to him about all of this."

"I know that. I know. I know." She emptied the rest of her glass and poured herself another. "But he's basically on top of the world right now. When I tell him, it's going to crush him. I don't want to ruin his book tour. I want him to have that and I don't want to take it away from him. I'm gonna tell him when he gets back, I swear."

"And until then?"

"Until then, I'm going to get my ducks in a row. I'm going to rehearse the conversation. I'm going to figure out where I'll live once I'm not in this place anymore." She gestured around her. "I'm going to help Damon remodel his apartment like I promised and I'm going to let myself fall back in love with him."

Bonnie did her best not to be judgmental. Was this the best method for ending a marriage? Maybe not for everyone, but she understood where Elena was coming from. "Well then I guess it's time for more wine and some reality TV. No more moping around tonight, got it?"

"Got it," she said before reaching for the TV remote. She flipped to a Keeping Up With the Kardashians marathon and they were both asleep on the couch after a couple episodes.

* * *

><p>Monday morning, Bonnie and Elena both awoke in Elena's living room. Bonnie lept up and grabbed her stuff as quick as she possibly could. She wanted to get home and shower before heading into work and she was already running late. Elena had a little time to cook herself some breakfast, sip a cup of coffee, and watch Good Morning America before heading in. She was surprisingly calm, considering how much of a mess her weekend had been.<p>

At work, they both collaborated on the Lockwood remodel for most of the day. The Lockwoods were one of the wealthiest political families in Roanoke and it was a huge deal that they had chosen Katherine's firm to handle their remodel so it was an "all hands on deck" project. Understandably, Katherine had been micromanaging a little more than normal on this job so they'd been working most of last week to put together a style board that Katherine could approve before they proposed anything to the Lockwoods. Monday was crunch time and they had to be ready to present tomorrow morning. Camped out in Elena's office with Chinese food cartons and a venti Starbucks cup graveyard, the two worked well into the evening to finish up. Bonnie didn't bring up Matt or Damon and neither did Elena.

* * *

><p>Ready to immediately crash into bed and let the cool sheets envelope her, Elena finally arrived home around 8 o'clock that night. She was surprised to see Damon's car in her driveway and him sitting on the front stoop smoking a cigarette. Mostly, she was surprised because they hadn't really spoken since he dropped her off at home yesterday afternoon.<p>

"I have a phone, you know. And an email. You didn't have to sit out here for hours waiting on me to come home from work." Elena grabbed her laptop bag from her car and pressed the remote to lock its doors.

Damon took one last pull from his cigarette before absentmindedly tossing it into the driveway a couple feet in front of him. He stood up and stepped on it, twisting his foot to make sure it had been put out. "If I had called, it would've ruined the surprise, don't you think?"

She reached into her bag to grab a napkin from the bottom before bending down to pick up the cigarette butt from the ground in front of him. When she stood back up, she gave him a tense glare.

"What?" he laughed a little.

"Do you want to come in, Damon?"

"I would love to, Lena." The last word rolled off his tongue and she felt a familiar tightening in her lower area. How could they ever actually talk about anything if all she wanted to do as jump on top of him?

She turned to unlock the door and he followed her in. "If you don't mind taking your boots off in the foyer, that would be great," she called back to him as she walked into the kitchen to dispose of his cigarette.

Damon rolled his eyes and kicked off his shoes. He took the moment alone to browse around her living room. There were pictures everywhere. Some of Elena with her little brother that she'd drug to a couple of their shows awhile back. A lot were of her with her husband, or what he assumed was her husband. There were photos of them on a beach somewhere, one of them standing together in the middle of a pumpkin patch, and a few wedding pictures.

He had to admit that Elena looked happy in all of them and he immediately questioned whether coming back into town had been the best thing for both of them or not. He picked up one frame and studied it. She was standing with her husband in front of a Christmas tree, both in their pajamas, embracing and smiling ear to ear. Damon wondered if he could ever give her that kind of easy life. The kind of life where they made gingerbread houses, picked pumpkins, and had family dinners on a regular basis. Though he loved her more than anything in the world, he wasn't that guy and he would probably never be the jam making, sweater wearing, soccer dad that Elena had settled down with. It really just affirmed what he'd come to tell her in the first place.

"Normally I'd offer you some wine or something, but how about a glass of iced tea?" Elena came walking into the living room with two glasses in her hands.

Damon quickly placed the picture back on the mantle and turned to face her. "I missed your tea." He took the glass and hastily gulped half of it down before moaning a little. "Every town we went to, I tried to find a glass of tea that could compare to yours. None came close." He started to taking another sip.

"I want to leave him, Damon." She blurted it out before she even realized it, causing him to almost choke on his drink.

"I'm not asking you to. That's kind of why I'm here." Damon's normal calm and cool demeanor had basically disappeared and he was fidgety. He was officially nervous. "I, uh," he held the almost empty glass in his hand and started rhythmically tapping his left foot as a way to distract himself. "You have a good life here, Elena. You're settled and happy. If I fuck it up for you, I wouldn't forgive myself."

"How happy can I be if I'm with someone I don't love?" Elena took his empty glass from him and set it on the coffee table. She grabbed him by the hand and led them both to sit down on the couch.

"Look around, Elena. I don't fit in this world and you don't really fit into mine anymore. You have a fucking foyer, for crying out loud. You're wearing stilettos, drinking wine, and living in suburbia. What do you plan to do? Quit your job, follow me around on tour, and stand in the front every night? You wouldn't last out there. Not anymore."

He was deliberately trying to push her buttons. Elena could tell. She wouldn't let him push her away. "Caroline does it for Stefan. I could do it too if I had to."

"Have you even really thought about this? There's a reason you didn't come with us in the first place. You wanted a career. You wanted a life. You didn't want to sleep in a tour bus every single night."

"No, Damon. I didn't think about it that much!" She raised her voice. "All I thought about was how I couldn't let you leave me again. I did it once and I won't do it again. I could stay here while you're on the road. You can just come back to me when you guys get time off."

He scoffed. "Because that worked so well last time, didn't it?"

"Why are you trying to push me away?"

Damon stood up and raised his voice back to her. "Because I love you!"

"Then just be with me! Stop complicating this and be with me!" She stood up to hug him and he wrapped his arms around her tight.

She pulled back from him a bit before looking up to meet his eyes. His piercing blue eyes told her everything she needed to know and she rose onto her toes to place a kiss on his lips. It wasn't steamy and rough like the others they had shared yesterday. It was tender and completely comforting.

"Stay tonight?" Elena had yet to let go of him and they were just standing in the middle of her living room enjoying the warmth of each other.

"If we're going to do this, we are going to do it the proper way."

Elena smiled. Since when had Damon ever done anything the proper way?

"I want to date you." He kissed her quickly. "I want to romance you." He kissed her again. "Most importantly, I don't want to make love to you again until the time is right."

She giggled a little. "I'm sorry, but who are you and what have you done with Mr. Fuck-Me-Now Damon Salvatore?"

"Don't laugh. You never really got the full Damon Salvatore experience." He winked at her. "You never got to be wooed. I want to woo you."

"Fiiiine," she whined. "But can you just cuddle me on the couch for a few minutes before you have to leave?"

"That, I can definitely do."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: And there we go! If you feel so inclined, please let me know how you're liking things so far.  
><strong>

**What to look forward to: The next chapter will be a mix of DE flashbacks along with some DE banter and dating in the present. Then the following chapter, Matt comes home. Dun dun dunnnnn!**

**Also, get ready to finally meet the rest of the band soon! I think you're gonna love those guys and their antics.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hiiiii! *waves awkwardly* My husband and I just moved into our first home that we bought together so we've been unpacking and decorating, thus the long wait between this chapter and the last.**

**Moving on though, no excuses! This chapter is super short compared to previous updates, but it makes me really giddy and I couldn't wait to share it with you all!**

* * *

><p>Wednesday evening at 6pm, Damon was at Elena's front door to pick her up so they could do a little shopping around town. She had spent a lot of Tuesday and some of that day scouting out a ton of places online to pick out new living room furniture for his apartment. When she wasn't doing that, she was looking at apartments for herself that were close to her office yet also still affordable. Richmond, as she was discovering, wasn't exactly cheap when you're living on your own.<p>

"You ready, Lena?" His eyes lit up at the sight of her as soon as she opened the door.

"Absolutely. We only have a couple of hours before most of these furniture stores close. I made a list of the most logical order that we should go to these places. We should start at the furthest away from my house and work our way back. Well, unless you see something you like early on and then we can just call it a night. Though I did make a back-up list of places to look for kitchen countertop options if we have some time." Elena meant business. She grabbed her bag and list before heading out the front door.

Damon lightly chuckled as he ran around to open the passenger side door for her.

"You're laughing? What?" Despite the late-October weather turning a little chillier lately, Elena found herself feeling warm. It took her a minute to realize she was actually blushing a little.

"So organized. Always with the plans." He smirked and shook his head as he cranked the Camaro and headed towards the freeway.

"I like plans," she said matter-of-factly.

"I like you."

There was the blush again. Elena tried to swallow it down, but this sincere Damon was really difficult to resist. She cleared her throat. "Here's the list. It's in order already."

Damon took the list from her, rolled down his window, and promptly threw it out.

"What the hell?" She yelled. "We only have a little bit of time!"

Damon dug into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He handed her a credit card. "Order whatever furniture, countertops, and cabinets you want tomorrow. I trust you. Tonight, I'm taking you somewhere else."

Letting out a frustrated sigh, she resigned to the fact that she was kind of at his mercy being that he was the one driving and all. "Alright, fine. Can you at least tell me where we're going? How do I even know if I'm dressed right?"

Damon sent her a quick but appreciative glance. "Trust me, you're dressed fine for where we're going."

After a couple of hours of Elena unsuccessfully pestering Damon for clues about their destination and Damon thoroughly enjoying the fact that she was freaking out about the unknown, they finally turned down a dark dirt road.

Damon pulled up to the traffic booth at the entrance and spoke to the attendant. "Two please." After the attendant took the cash, he pressed a button to raise the barrier so that Damon could drive in.

"Now will you tell me where we are?" Elena whined a little.

"Okay, okay, fine." Damon finally relented as he slowly made his way toward a field on their right. "Do you still like John Hughes movies?"

"More than anything," she replied excitedly.

"Well I have it on good authority that this drive-in is playing Some Kind of Wonderful tonight and I know much you love candy." He parked facing a huge screen and placed the car in park.

"I feel cheated," Elena laughed.

"What?"

"Damon Salvatore, if this is how you woo then I feel cheated that I missed out on this the first time around." She smiled at him and he returned the gesture.

"I'll be right back." He leaned over to kiss her quickly on the cheek before opening the car door to walk around to the trunk for some snacks. "Sour Patch Kids, Reese's Pieces, and a diet Coke." He handed them all to her and she gave him a confused look.

"Or regular Coke," he said a little panicked. "You used to drink diet, so I just assumed. Sorry. You can have mine." He tried to hand it to her, but she just shook her head.

"Diet is perfect. It's all really perfect, Damon. Thank you." She shivered just a little bit before he pulled his jacket off to offer her. She graciously accepted. Elena took a moment to inhale the scent as she wrapped it around herself. Though she thought she was being discreet, Damon definitely noticed.

"You could get your fix straight from the source, you know." He raised his arm and gestured to Elena to come cuddle next to him. Thank goodness for old cars and bench seats. She slid next to him just in time for the opening credits to start.

* * *

><p>"<em>I'm just saying, Lena. All that romantic bullshit doesn't really add up for me." Damon took a swig from his near empty bottle of bourbon as they sat on the floor of his living room while Enzo and Stefan were passed out on the couch. Caroline and Alaric had gone on a liquor store run together. They were all running dangerously low on alcohol and that was a situation that needed to be rectified immediately.<em>

_Elena shook her head and smiled. "It isn't just stupid bullshit," she began. "All I'm saying is that the way Jake looks Sam at the end of Sixteen Candles, I just, I hope that one day someone looks at me like that."_

_Damon wanted so badly to be the one who could do that for her, but he knew he was going places someday. He couldn't afford to be tied down right now and he hoped that she knew that. "Are you saying you don't like what we have going on?" He gestured between the two of them._

"_No, no. That's not what I meant at all." She stood up and padded toward the bar cart to pour herself another gin and tonic. "We have a lot of fun. I just mean, someday with someone." Elena tried nervously to cover the fact that she was falling for Damon. She never planned to do it, but it just kind of snuck up on her._

"_Well, I am sure one day someone will look at you however it is you want them to look at you." He waved the bottle around with his arm as he spoke to give his words emphasis._

_Elena returned to her spot on the living room floor beside Damon with a fresh drink. She took a huge gulp and immediately hiccuped then started bursting out laughing. Sitting her glass on the floor, her head fell into Damon's lap and he began to absentmindedly stroke her hair. It was a rarely sweet gesture. Damon had never really touched Elena in a non-sexual way before and she wasn't sure how she was supposed to react. Before she could overthink it too much, she relaxed herself into him._

"_Alright, dudes. Let's keep this going!" Alaric burst into the apartment with Caroline trailing behind him. "Caroline, wake up that boyfriend of yours. Damon, wake up Enzo. Elena, come take a few of these bottles from me before I drop them all over the place."_

_Just like that, the moment was gone._

* * *

><p>On the drive back to Elena's house after the movie, the two held hands. Damon only let go to shift gears before quickly finding her hand again with his.<p>

"Tonight was a lot of fun. I'm really glad you threw my list out the window." Elena wasn't sure about deviating from her carefully laid out plans earlier on in the night, but she was really glad that she let Damon take the lead.

He stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. "Me too. I think you should let me surprise you more often. Maybe Saturday?" He raised his eyebrows at her in that suggestive way that only Damon Salvatore can do.

"I actually have plans that I can't break on Saturday," she replied quietly. She didn't want Damon to know anything about her search for an apartment. It was kind of embarrassing, her being a grown adult woman and being basically homeless in a couple of weeks.

"The best plans are the ones that aren't planned at all."

"I can't put off these particular plans."

Damon took a deep breath. He wanted to pry, but had to try like hell to resist the urge. "Understood, babe."

The use of the nickname did not go unnoticed by Elena. "I have to go find a new place to live," she blurted out.

"Oh. That's easy. I know a couple places. Alaric is renting a really nice apartment. I can't remember what the building is called for the life of me though. Cardinal something?"

"Cardinal Crossing," Elena interjected. "Yeah. I looked into that place. It's super nice and really close to my work, but it's also way out of my price range."

Damon hadn't really though about the price when he suggested it. Foolishly, he just thought about how close it was located to him.

"The problem I'm running into is that I can either be close to work or I can live in an apartment without holes in the walls. I can't have both." Elena chuckled to herself.

"Let me help you, Elena. I'll pay for your apartment." The solution seemed easy enough to Damon. He had left her with the promise that he would give her a good life when he came back. It was time to start fulfilling that promise now. Besides, he wanted her to stay close to him, but he also wanted her to live in a safe building.

"Do you even hear how ridiculous that sounds, Damon? I'm still married to someone else and you're offering to put me up in penthouse downtown."

"Not that ridiculous. It isn't like I don't have the money. If it helps, consider it payment for helping me remodel my place."

"No. No way. Something about you paying for my apartment feels very Pretty Woman to me."

"Well suck it up and embrace your inner Julia Roberts, baby. I'm going to help you out. I promised you a long time ago that I would come back and take care of you."

Elena groaned louder than necessary for dramatic effect. "This conversation isn't over."

"No it isn't," he said as he pulled into the driveway to Elena's house. Before she could open her own car door, he was out and around to open it for her. "Let me walk you to your door."

"It's like 5 feet away. Don't be silly."

"It's like really dark outside. Don't be silly." Damon replied in a mocking tone.

They arrived on her front stoop as Elena reached into her purse for her keys to unlock the front door. "I had a really good night. Thank you."

"The pleasure is all mine. Thank you for not making me pull over the minute I threw your list out the window." Damon reached out to stroke Elena's cheek with his hand. She leaned into his palm in response. Another kind gesture.

"Come inside?"

He shook his head. "You know I can't. That would ruin the wooing."

"I'm tired of being wooed. I just want you to hold me!" Elena giggled.

Damon pressed a chaste kiss to her lips. "You won't be saying that in ten years. It'll be all 'Damon stop touching my ass! Why don't you ever take me out to dinner anymore? Can't we just go out on a date for once?'"

"Ten years, huh?" Nothing could wipe that smile off of her face.

"Yep." The weight of what he'd just jokingly said finally caught up to him and surprising to even himself, he wasn't scared of it at all.

"Goodnight Damon." With that, she turned around and went inside.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Freaking sweet & sincere Damon is the best, right? Also how much did your heart hurt for him in last night's episode? I was legit curled up in a ball of emotions on my couch for the entire time.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hey again! I am so excited that more of you guys are reading, following, and favoriting.**

**This chapter is hot off the presses. Well, I've had the beginning written for a couple of days, but I just finished it and I wanted to go ahead and get it published before my husband gets home from work tonight.**

* * *

><p>"Jesus, Stefan. It's 8 in the morning. Get out of my room." Damon quickly grabbed at the covers to pull them over his head. He really had to get that apartment fit to live in soon. Staying at his mother's with Stefan and Caroline in tow had become more than an inconvenience. Talk about no privacy.<p>

Stefan walked over to Damon's bed and pulled the covers off of his head just as quickly. "You're seeing Elena again? Why didn't you tell me?"

Damon groaned at him. "You don't need to know everything, brother. Besides, it isn't exactly as simple as it seems." He finally started to open his eyes in time to see Stefan pacing in his room and waving an iPad around.

"It's all over the internet. They don't name her, but it's pretty obvious that it's her. Caroline said Twitter is freaking out about it."

Damon got out of bed and reached for last night's clothes on the floor. He quickly threw on the t-shirt and jeans. "Give me that." He snatched the tablet out of Stefan's hand before reading some of the headlines.

_Exclusive Photos: Ravens Guitarist Seen Canoodling New Lady_

_Damon Salvatore Spotted With Mystery Brunette  
><em>

_Salvatore Brother is Eternal Bachelor No More: Could he be settling down?_

Accompanying each one were photos of their date last night at the drive-in. None of them had a really clear shot of Elena's face, thankfully. They did get a few good pictures of his, however. Damon thought that he'd been extra careful. The Camaro wasn't what he rode around in when he was in New York. There was no way they could have recognized it. The drive-in was basically in the middle of nowhere and it was really dark. How could the paparazzi have even known he was there? Unfortunately, it didn't matter how. All that mattered was that they did.

"Well?" Stefan questioned, snapping Damon out of his own thoughts.

"I need to figure this out. Get out."

It was like Stefan didn't even hear him. "Caroline says she wants to see Elena. She's been awake for 3 hours talking about it and she won't stop until I tell her how to reach her. Mom wants to have her over for Friday dinner like old times. What do you want me to do here, D?"

"Stefan, tell everyone to mind their own business. No one calls Elena. No one does anything until I say so. Now get out."

With that, Stefan grabbed the iPad before walking out of Damon's room and closing the door. Damon immediately reached for his phone off of his nightstand and he noticed that his hand was shaking a bit as he picked it up. In stressful situations like this, maintaining his sobriety was extremely difficult. A glass of bourbon would surely calm his nerves, but he knew that he had to be able to stay strong for her without the liquid courage.

He scrolled to Elena's name in his contacts and pressed the dial button.

"Good morning Mr. Salvatore," Elena giggled into the phone. She sounded so giddy. She was still on a high from their date last night. Damon could tell she was completely clueless as to what the internet was saying by the sound of her voice.

"Lena, I have something that I need you to know. Before I tell you, I need you to know that it's going to be okay. I need you to promise me that you won't panic." Damon was doing his best to use his calm voice, but he was panicking inside a little bit himself. It's hard enough to date the love of your life when they're married to someone else. Once you throw being a celebrity into the mix, it becomes damn near impossible to keep it discreet.

Elena took a deep breath, as if to steady herself for whatever storm was coming her way. She'd woken up on time and in a fantastic mood this morning. She showered, gotten dressed, made her morning cup of coffee, drove straight to work, and had just sat down at her desk to catch up on email when Damon called. All in all, it had been a good morning so far. She had a feeling that was about to completely change. "Go ahead," she prompted.

"Have you been on any kind of news or social media this morning?" Damon already knew the answer, but he had to ask.

"No, not yet. Why? Is there something going on? Let me just pull up Twitter really quick." Before Damon could stop her, she pulled up the website on her computer and logged in.

"Wait. Don't do that just yet!" Damon shouted, but it was already too late.

"Why are there pictures of us all over the internet, Damon?" Elena sounded shocked, but oddly calm. She had promised him that she wouldn't panic and she was trying her very best to keep that promise.

Damon winced. He could hear the anxiety in her voice, even though she was trying so hard to cover it up. "We were somehow followed. I don't know how, babe. I thought I had covered all my bases. I'm sorry."

"Oh my God. Do they know who I am? I have to call Matt. I have to tell Matt before he finds out." Elena started to hang up the phone, but Damon replied quickly.

"You're just 'mystery brunette' right now. They don't know who you are. I'll make sure they don't find out. Not until you want them to."

Elena felt sick to her stomach. Her life had gone from simple to complex lightening fast and she wasn't really braced for the impact. She remained silent, letting the weight of everything really sink in.

"They will find out eventually though, Lena. I need you to know that part of being with me means being in the public eye and I need to make sure you're okay with that. Are you?"

"Whatever it takes," Elena replied. She meant it, she really did. "I just want to be with you."

"I'll come over tonight if you want? Cook a little Italian dinner?" Damon was trying desperately to get things back to normal now. Well, their version of normal, which wasn't really conventionally normal at all.

"Maybe. I have an afternoon appointment for the Lockwood account and I have no idea how long it'll run. I'll call you tonight?" She wasn't trying to blow him off, but she was still reeling a little from pictures of the back of her head being posted all over TMZ and everywhere else.

"Sure. I love you." Damon pressed.

"I love you too."

* * *

><p>Damon reached Alaric's apartment building around noon. It wasn't a far drive from his mom's, but it took him forever to get out the door this morning. Between the inquisition from his mother about when Elena would be coming over for dinner and Rock n Roll Barbie's constant yammering about why Damon didn't mention anything to her, he was lucky to get out of there at all.<p>

"You know when you said you were coming over, I really thought you were just coming by to see your oldest friends." Alaric smiled at him as Damon walked into his front door.

"Yeah, mate. What's all of this nonsense about Elena moving in here? She can't have my room. I'll tell you that right now." Enzo was sitting on the couch with his feet propped up on the coffee table. "I finally have all my shit unpacked."

"Relax, guys." Damon headed straight for the kitchen to make himself a cup of coffee. Since he'd given up alcohol, he depended a lot on caffeine in times of stress, almost as much as he depended on nicotine. "She isn't moving in this apartment. I'm just thinking about her moving into the empty one across the hall."

"Forgive me for asking the obvious question here buddy, but doesn't she already have a place to live? Being that she's a permanent resident of Roanoke and all?" Alaric poured himself a little coffee as well, only he added a little bit of Kahlua to his own cup.

Damon hadn't been completely honest with Alaric on the phone earlier. He'd gone to as little detail as possible, basically saying that yes, he'd started seeing Elena again and yes, it was her brown wavy hair in all of those pictures. He then quickly asked Ric if their neighbor across the hall had moved out yet because Elena might be interested in moving into Cardinal Crossing. He was kind of putting off telling everyone the whole married thing, but if Elena was going to be neighbors with the guys then they would find out pretty soon anyhow.

"See that's the thing." Damon took a sip from his mug before setting it down on the coffee table. He plopped down on the couch next to Enzo before lifting his arms and lacing his fingers behind his head. "Her house is her husband's."

Alaric basically spit out his coffee in the most theatrical way possible.

"Hey, hey! That's alcohol abuse! You're wasting perfectly good liqueur!" Enzo yelled out causing Damon to burst out into a fit of laughter.

"You can't just ask Elena to leave her husband for you, Damon." Alaric was starting to get into his lecture voice and Damon didn't really feel like a lecture right now.

Rolling his eyes a little, he exhaled dramatically. "For the second time in ten minutes, relax guys. I never _asked_ her to. She wants to be with me. Who am I to deny a beautiful lady what she wants?" He raised his eyebrows and gave a smirk.

"A fucking semi-responsible adult who wouldn't the want woman he loves to give up her life for him?" Alaric questioned back.

Always the devil on Damon's shoulder, Enzo immediately took the opposing side. "Here's what you do, Damon. You get her just to move in with you. It's kind of obvious. You and I both know that you two will be so preoccupied with getting busy that she'll hardly ever step foot in that apartment anyways."

"Or, you leave her alone. You let her live out the life she made for herself while we were away. It isn't like she's just casually dating some guy, man. She got fucking married. She was okay with you theoretically never coming back so she made a promise to be with someone else forever." Alaric had started to wipe up his coffee in an effort to occupy himself with something other than this conversation.

"Alright, alright. I didn't really come here so that I could hear you two argue with each other about my love life, sex life, personal life, or whatever you want to call it. Who do I talk to about getting Elena into that apartment? That's all I need to know. Give me a phone number or email or something and I can be on my merry way." Damon chugged the remainder of his cup of coffee before taking the mug into the sink.

Alaric wrote down a name and number on a post-it before handing it to Damon.

"Thanks, Ric. See you guys at mom's tomorrow for Friday dinner. Also, this whole living with a roommate in your late 20s thing is getting really creepy. You might consider getting your own places." He smirked as he headed toward the door.

"Says the fellow who still lives with his mother!" Enzo called back just before the front door clicked shut.

* * *

><p>Elena spent the rest of her workday isolated in her office. She didn't go out for lunch. She barely spoke to Bonnie, which struck her friend as odd. Normally they were either in the other's office or emailing each other from just down the hall. Instead, Elena tried to avoid the internet and people at all costs. She was feeling paranoid that someone may recognize her from the photos. Deep down, she knew that there wasn't much of a chance that could happen. It could have been any girl's brown waves in that car with Damon, but what if there were more photos?<p>

Right before she left for the day, Elena popped her head into Katherine's office for what she hoped would be a quick conversation. It wasn't that Katherine was a bad boss to work for. Truthfully, she was rarely ever in the office at all. She spent most of the time with her boyfriend, Elijah, and she trusted Bonnie & Elena to run things.

Elena lightly knocked her knuckles on Katherine's doorframe to get her attention. "Katherine, I actually have a huge favor to ask you."

The older brunette raised her gaze from her binder to focus in on Elena leaning in her doorway. "Sure, have a seat." She gestured to one of the chairs across her desk.

"Well, I know that since we finished the style board for the Lockwoods and things with the remodel are starting to get going, the workload here is getting a little heavier. That being said, I'd like to take the day off tomorrow. I completely understand if now isn't a good time and I know that it's really short notice…" Elena was babbling now.

Katherine started to laugh a little to herself. "It's okay, Elena. You can have the day off. Have a great 3-day weekend."

"Really? Thanks so much!" Elena sat there awkwardly, wringing her hands in her lap while trying to figure out what to say or do next. It wasn't like the two were going to chitchat now, but she didn't just want to run out of her office.

Katherine checked the time and started to pack up her things. "Well, Elijah's taking me away this weekend so I think 5 o'clock means we should all get out of here."

"Right, right. Of course." Elena nodded before getting up to go grab hers as well.

* * *

><p>"Okay, I have all the stuff for my panty-dropping tortellini. Get ready for your taste buds to die and go to heaven." A smiling Damon juggled a couple very full grocery bags in his hands as he walked through Elena's front door. She met him in her foyer, grabbing one of the bags from his hands before heading into the kitchen.<p>

Elena had immediately changed into sweatpants and a tank top once she walked in the door that evening. She'd kind of forgotten that Damon wanted to come over to cook for her and she wasn't really in the mood to be around people right now. Things were becoming messy. Elena didn't do messy, at least not anymore. Of course she wanted to be with Damon. She made a decision. She chose to be with him, but getting a place where they could even truly be together was going to be so difficult for them.

Damon eyed her outfit with a curious expression. "Not that you don't look absolutely delicious in every damn thing you put on, but what gives with the sweatpants? Did you forget I was coming over?"

She nervously took her bottom lip between her teeth for a moment. "Uh, kind of. I'll go change." She started to head out of the kitchen, but Damon wrapped his fingers around her wrist.

"No way. If anything, I am overdressed." He gestured to himself.

He was wearing the standard uniform. Black t-shirt, leather jacket, dark jeans, and his black boots. Elena smiled a little. Did he even own anything else?

"Well, how can I help?" Elena changed the subject, choosing to focus on the task at hand.

Damon placed his hand on the small of her back and leaned down a little to whisper in her ear. "You see that barstool over there?"

"Mmhmm." The sensation of his breath on her ear was causing a familiar tightening in her belly.

"I need to sit your exquisite ass on that barstool, sip this wine, and tell me all about your day."

As he took to slowly tracing circles on her lower back, she closed her eyes and moaned a little. Doing things the proper way was really proving to be more difficult than she thought.

"Wine glasses are where?" he asked her.

Elena inhaled, trying to relax herself. "Cabinet above the dishwasher. Top shelf."

He broke their contact to retrieve a glass for her. Elena stood there still in a sort of daze, daydreaming about a different life where things were much simpler for them.

"Lena?"

"Yes?" She was taken out of her thoughts.

"Sit, drink, divulge?" He handed her a wine glass filled with Pinot Grigio.

She plopped onto the barstool and took a sip of the chilled white wine as Damon began to chop up some fresh garlic. They were in a pleasant silence for a while as Elena studied him intently.

"Well you have the first two parts down," Damon remarked. He refilled her wine glass for her. "How was your day?"

"I love you an immeasurable amount."

"Same, babe."

"How do we even begin to get to where we can be together? My friends and Jeremy, they'll never understand it. They love Matt. Not to mention, I'm basically going to be giving up my life to be on the front cover of People magazine as Damon Salvatore's girlfriend. It's just," she sighed, "It's a lot."

Damon stirred the saucepan. "It is a lot. I know I'm asking a lot. I know what you'd be giving up for me and I get it if you don't want to."

"It isn't that. There's just so much we have to deal with. It's overwhelming sometimes." Elena's phone vibrated next to her on the counter. What an ironic time for Matt to call her. She glanced up at Damon.

"Dinner's almost ready," Damon turned to her with a kitchen towel thrown over his shoulder.

"I actually have to answer this," she pointed to the ringing phone in her hand as she walked to her bedroom for some privacy.

He frowned a little. He didn't need to ask who it was; he already knew.

* * *

><p>Elena closed the bedroom door tightly behind her before swiping to answer her phone.<p>

"Hey Matty," she breathed into the phone. She hadn't heard from her husband in a couple of days and if she was being honest, she was kind of relieved. It eased her guilt if she didn't have to pretend that things were normal with them.

"I've missed your voice so much." On the opposite end of the spectrum, he sounded relieved to finally talk to her.

"I'm so sorry that it's been a couple of days. Work has been so crazy this week. I'm just so exhausted." Elena had figured out a way to tell Matt selective details without lying to him too much.

"Well I'll be home soon to help you relax. Actually, sooner than originally planned. Rebecca and I have been trying to double up on appearances so I'm catching a flight home on Saturday. Think you'll be able to pick me up from the airport?"

Elena was really finding it difficult to hide her disappointment. She thought she had at least another week before Matt came home and she had to face the music. She hadn't even found a place to live yet. "Of course I can. Text me your flight info and I'll be there."

"That's great, sweetheart. Have a great night. I hope you sleep well and I'll see you in around 48 hours!"

"Night, Matty."

"Good night, Elena."

She hung up the phone and started to walk back into the kitchen. She needed to break the news to Damon; hopefully he'd take it well.

* * *

><p>Damon had decided not to let Elena's phone call damper their night. He was trying his best not to act like an asshole about the whole situation, but he really wanted her to just break the news to this guy as soon as possible. It was a delicate balance between trying to be patient for her and chomping at the bit to be able to call her his again. In either case, he wasn't going to bring it up tonight if she didn't.<p>

"I was just about to come check on you. The table is set; your wine glass is poured. Water for me, obviously. Get ready to dig in, babe."

Elena turned on her smile. Damon had worked really hard on this meal and she'd be damned if she was going to ruin it for him. "Thank you. It smells great."

The dinner conversation soon fell into a comfortable place where Damon told Elena funny stories about the guys from the road. Elena reacted with several fits of laughter.

"So there Stefan is, so drunk that he's about to fall down in the middle of the bar. Alaric has to basically sling him over his shoulder to carry him out. The whole time Stefan is still swinging his arms, thinking that he's actually hitting the guy who kept flirting with Caroline. We didn't have to heart to tell him that he never even came close." Damon smirked as he began to clear their plates from the table.

Elena swatted his hand away. "Nope. You cooked. I clean. That's how it works."

"You got it." Damon held up his hands in mock defeat before smiling and heading into the living room.

After finishing the dishes, Elena cuddled on the couch with Damon to watch a movie. It wasn't long before her eyes began to get heavy and she finally drifted off to sleep. The wine had taken its toll on her and she was finally feeling like she was able to truly relax.

Damon gazed down at her sleeping form. He knew he couldn't stay, even if he really, really, really wanted to. Part of the wooing meant that he had to maintain some boundaries. As he slowly shifted to get up, Elena's eye drifted open.

"You're not leaving, are you?" she sleepily asked him.

Damon slipped out from underneath her and reached for his boots. "You're tired and it's late. I don't want to overstay my welcome."

"Stay?" Elena uncurled herself from the couch and held out her hand. This wooing was nice and all, but she needed Damon in the closest way possible tonight.

After a small inner debate, Damon placed his hand in hers and allowed her to lead him down the hall to the bedroom.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry to end it there, but this was getting wordy enough! Plus, it's something to look forward to for next chapter.**

**I hope you guys love Enzo and Alaric so far as much as I do! They have always been two of my favorite TVD secondary characters and I'm excited to include them in this story. We will be seeing more of them, Mama Salvatore, Caroline, and Stefan in the coming chapters. **

**Dear readers, I love you all. Thank you for your words of encouragement. Until next time!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Friends! I hope you guys had a great Thanksgiving. My husband and I had to host both families at our new house, which was super stressful. I think I'm still recovering.**

**But you didn't come here to hear about that. You're here for the fic!**

**One last thing! This chapter opens with a pretty explicit sexy time scene so if you're not into that, skip down to the next line break. The plot will still make sense to you without it.**

* * *

><p>As soon as they entered the master bedroom, Elena shed herself quickly of her sweatpants and shirt. It left her only in her bra and underwear. They didn't even match. It wasn't like she was planning on this.<p>

Damon wrapped his arms around Elena, resting his hands on her butt. He squeezed and pulled her against him before kissing her hard and with purpose. If he was going to hell for doing this in her marital bed, he might as well make it worth it. He nudged Elena backwards until her legs collided with the bed.

The finally broke apart and Damon began to undo his belt. Elena pushed his hands out of the way and unbuckled it herself before slowly unzipping his jeans. They fell to the floor and he was left in only his black boxer briefs. She began to stroke the very visible bulge that was in his pants and he groaned before leaning his head back a little.

With a slight roughness, Damon turned Elena around and pressed himself against her backside. He used his foot to separate her legs before reaching down into her underwear and lightly grazing a finger over her sweet spot.

"Let me hear you, baby. Let me hear how I make you feel." His breath was hot on her ear and it only intensified the sensation for her.

Elena let out an audible moan. He had sped up his movements and she was close. She could feel it, but he withdrew his fingers just as she was about to go over the edge. She whimpered in response.

"Don't worry, Lena. I'm going to take care of you." He placed his hand onto her back and gently pushed her down until she was leaning over onto the bed. Damon hooked his fingers into her underwear and slid them down her legs before coming back up and blowing cool air onto her center. He swiped a finger between her folds before bringing it to his lips to taste. "Just as delicious as I remember."

With that, Damon placed his tongue where Elena needed it most. It was the single most erotic thing Elena had ever experienced in her life. She was bent over the bed, hands fisted into the comforter, and completely vulnerable as he buried his face into her. She wouldn't last long. The sheer thought of what was happening was almost enough for the tightening in her lower stomach to begin. "Damon, I'm so close. Please. Please don't stop!" she called out.

Damon began to use his fingers as well. He wanted her to come just as much as she did. Pretty soon her legs began to shake as she called out his name and felt the delectable pulsing she had been craving.

Elena barely had a chance to come down from her high before Damon quickly shed himself of his boxers and pushed inside her. His fingers dug into her hips as he pumped into her with fervor. Surely there would be bruises there tomorrow, but Elena couldn't bring herself to care at the time. The whole thing was just so passionate and hedonistic; the consequences were the last thing that crossed her mind.

"I love you. I have loved you for so long." He breathed out between thrusts. He reached down and began to rub circles on her clit in the hopes that she would come with him. "Lena," he began.

"I love you too. So so close," she breathed. With that they both found their own releases.

* * *

><p>Elena rested her head on Damon's chest in the dark bedroom. He was stroking her hair softly and the completely sated brunette's breathing became steady. She had fallen asleep.<p>

Damon closed his eyes and tried to do the same, but sleep wouldn't come for him. He loved Elena with everything he had. He realized he loved her even more than he thought possible. This wasn't just about their insane sexual chemistry or her ability to make him smile at the most trivial things. She filled the darkest parts of him with her light and he allowed her to be her true self with no shame or judgment. Despite the overwhelming feeling that one could shatter the other's heart in an instant if they chose to, he knew that the risk was well worth the reward.

It was because of this love that Damon knew he had to do right by Elena. He couldn't sleep here tonight. He couldn't spend the night with her in a bed she shared with another man, a man she was still married to. He shouldn't even be there in the first place. The kind of man that would do that wasn't the kind of man she deserved and he was desperately trying hard to be that man. He needed to leave, but he didn't just want to disappear.

He lightly shook a sleeping Elena's shoulder before whispering, "Lena, I have to go home. I'm sorry babe."

Elena opened her eyes slowly, kissed his chest once, and closed them again.

Damon tried to withdraw himself from her embrace, but she gripped him tighter. "I can't stay."

"I don't have to work tomorrow. You can stay. Shhhh, you're ruining the moment," Elena smiled a little.

"The moment is ruined already." Damon finally managed to get himself out of her arms and she reached to turn on the bedside lamp before visibly pouting at him.

"Please just stay. I never once ask you to stay three years ago. I'm asking now. Please."

The desperation in her voice caused an ache in Damon's heart, but he still reached for his clothes. He knew she would thank him later. Surely she would feel guilty about this in the morning and he was trying his best not to make it worse.

"Don't be mad at me. We have time for all of this." He gestured to the bed with her still in it.

"Matt's coming home on Saturday. We really don't have time." She started to tear up a bit. With the wine and the sex and her immediate sleep, she had temporarily allowed herself to forget about the inevitable fallout of the past couple weeks.

Now dressed in just his jeans, Damon sat down next to her on the bed. "Oh, baby. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I wanted this night before," she sighed.

"Before what?" Damon had started to lightly rub her forearm with the backs of his fingers.

"Before things turn to shit for a little while. I'm not ready for things to be shitty yet and I just wanted this night with you." Elena rarely used swear words. That was normally Damon's thing. She always found that the more she was around him, the more she picked it up.

"Hey," he took her face between his hands to bring her gaze from the comforter to meet his eyes. "We will have so many nights like this, better than this even. We have all the time in the world for you to fall asleep in my arms. I'll still be making love to you in thirty years, I promise. We just have to go through a little bit of shit first, okay?" He smirked slightly, hoping that she would mirror his expression.

Elena nodded her head and planted a tender kiss on his lips. "Will you come with me to look for an apartment tomorrow? I thought I had another week, but now it's only a day or so and I'm kind of freaking out a little."

"I took care of it."

"What?" Elena shook her head, a little confused.

"I paid your deposit at Cardinal Crossing this morning. You can move in whenever you'd like. I'll have movers come and get your stuff if you tell me when you want them to do that." Damon was rather proud that he could at least take care of this small thing for her. She had so much to worry about and he was happy to have taken one thing off of her plate right now.

Elena raised her voice a little. It wasn't enough to be considered full-on yelling, but it definitely louder than the hushed tone that they had both been using. "I thought we were going to talk about that before you did anything? You can't just make those decisions without asking me. I have to be involved in the plan you're making for my life, Damon. The rent alone for that place is almost how much I make in a month."

"I'm going to pay the rent for you. What's the point in me even leaving you in the first place if I can't come back with something to show for it?" Elena began to open her mouth to protest, but Damon placed up a finger up to stop her. "Let me do this for you, beautiful. You're making all these big moves to be with me and I haven't really had to give anything up. I want to help and I can help with this. Will you let me, please?"

Elena nodded her head. "I'll accept your help, but do me a favor and don't try to help me again without checking with me first?"

"I promise," he replied before kissing her on the nose. "Do me a favor and don't make me stay here? I can't sleep here. It isn't right."

"Who even are you?" She scrunched up her face and started to giggle. "It isn't right? The Damon I fell in love with didn't give a shit about that. That's why I loved him. If I wanted to be making jam in the suburbs with a guy who was always thinks about doing the right thing, I wouldn't be naked and you wouldn't be here right now."

Chuckling a little to himself, Damon kissed her on the forehead before beginning to push himself off of the bed. She wrapped her fingers around his wrist in a futile attempt to pull him back down.

His tone became serious. "Lena, don't. Don't ask me to stay again. I'm really trying here. Really, really trying to be a good guy."

"You don't get it, Damon. I don't want the good guy. I want you, shit and all." She gazed into his blue eyes hoping that he'd finally understand that.

Damon shook his head before finally getting up and grabbing his shirt. Even if he wasn't desperately trying to be a better man, it didn't matter. If he stayed, it would mean that he was okay with sneaking around. He wasn't and he wanted that to be clear. He wanted to be the only man in her life and he was willing to give it some time, but he didn't want her to think that his patience was endless. He pulled his t-shirt over his head.

"What time will he be home on Saturday?" He couldn't bring himself to say her husband's name.

Brushing back some tears, Elena stood up and began to grab her own clothes from the floor to get dressed. "I have to pick him up. His flight lands at two in the afternoon."

"Do you want to see me tomorrow?" Damon treaded carefully. He could tell that he'd hurt her feelings by refusing to stay.

"Do _you_ want to see _me_ tomorrow?" Elena spat back.

He took a stride towards the now fully clothed woman before resting his hand on her waist. "You know I do. I'm going to have a cigarette on the back deck. Want to join me?"

"I don't smoke anymore." She rolled her eyes a little.

"Do you want some secondhand, a little contact buzz maybe? This is me not being the good guy." He smirked at her.

"Yeah, alright. Let's go."

They walked out onto the back porch and Damon lit a cigarette while Elena plopped down on one of the chairs.

Damon took a puff and looked around her backyard. It was large, but he could still see over into the backyard of the house to the left of them. "So, any nosey neighbors we need to be worried about while we're out here?" He motioned his head toward the house in question.

"Mr. Bernard? His dementia is so bad that he doesn't even recognize his own daughter. There's a live-in nurse with him, but I think she's more focused on taking care of him than on who's standing on my back deck. Only ones we'd have to worry about would be the Fells across the street, but Meredith is a boozy housewife whose husband works all the time. No one really listens much to what she says anymore. Besides, she's been having an affair with Mr. Bernard's son for like six months." Elena snickered a little.

"And you said you didn't belong in the suburbs. My little gossip girl, you." Damon teased.

"I'm pretty observant is all that is. Now can we stop changing the subject? Are you staying here tonight? There are like 4 other bedrooms in this house you can sleep in.

Damon flicked the cherry off of his cigarette and shoved the butt into his jeans pocket. He knew how much it irritated her when he put out his cigarettes on the ground, just another sign that he didn't really belong here.

"I'll make you a deal. I'll stay here on the couch tonight if you agree to Friday dinner at Mom's tomorrow. She's been bugging me since this morning." He extended his hand to help her from her seat.

"You drive a hard bargain, Salvatore." Elena slipped her hand into his before pulling up. She kissed him lightly, secretly loving the taste that the Camel Lights left on his lips. She'd never admit it, but she sometimes missed the nicotine. "You have yourself a deal."

* * *

><p>"Coffee?" Elena smiled as she sat a mug down on the coffee table for Damon and took a seat in the recliner.<p>

He sat up from the couch, wincing a little at the ache in his muscles. The combination of their passionate encounter last night and a night sleeping on a couch had left him sore. He reached for the mug and took a sip of the hot liquid.

"I can get you some aspirin. I know the couch is horribly uncomfortable. I'm sorry." She started to head toward the bathroom so she could grab a bottle from the medicine cabinet but he caught her arm before she got too far.

"I'm okay. It's just been awhile," he trailed off. "At the apartment, it was kind of quick. I just haven't really been with anyone in awhile, especially not like last night, so I think my body is just adapting." He looked down at the floor, feeling slightly emasculated for his admission.

"Oh." Elena tried not to make the conversation too heavy, especially this early and before she finished her coffee. More importantly, she could tell he didn't want her to press so she held her tongue.

"What time is dinner tonight?" She changed the subject and could see Damon's shoulders relax because of it.

"Mom likes to eat at six sharp, but Caroline really wants to see you so Stefan texted me and asked if we could come early. You know how nagging and persuasive she can be. If you don't want to, we can get there just in time to dine and dash." He tilted his head to the side in an effort to stretch his neck.

"Dash? Uh, no. I haven't seen Caroline in three years. How early is too early to head over there?"

Damon smirked at her before checking his phone. "Well it's almost noon now. How much time do you think you guys will spend braiding each other's hair or whatever it is you do?"

"Hey," she pointed her index finger at him. "I don't think you want us dragging out those pictures of a very drunk Damon passed out on the floor with his own hair braided."

Damon looked up at the ceiling. "Dear God, what have I gotten myself into?"

Elena laughed lightly at his joke. "I have to shower and get ready then we can head over?"

He took another sip of his coffee. "Fine, woman, fine. But no reminiscing about embarrassing pictures of me!"

"I can't hear you!" she called as she padded down the hall and into the master bathroom.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: One of my great reviewers, ****jairem,**** brought up a really great point about Elena's neighbors! I wanted to go ahead and address that while the opportunity presented itself. We don't have to worry about her neighbors specifically, but let's just say that DE aren't being nearly as careful as they should be!**

**I love my readers. Thank you for stepping into this world with me. While I'm really loving this season of TVD, it hasn't really been great for our favorite blue-eyed vampire. It's nice to be able to write an AU where things go a little better for him. That being said, the course of true love never runs smooth, am I right?**


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